Giving live sports piracy the red card

For live sports, speed is the name of the game when it comes to fighting online pirates. After all the value of the sports content is at its highest while it is being broadcast. What’s the winning game plan to get the pirates sent off as soon as possible?

Live sports broadcasts attract a lot of eyeballs and big advertising dollars. It’s not surprising then that they are a primary target for pirate services.

Knowing who you’re up against
There are thousands of pirate hosting and linking sites out there, pulling in millions of viewers. In fact, the Irdeto cyber-services team has seen a 20% increase in aggregated visits to sports related pirate sites, up from 100 million in September 2015 to 120 million in September 2016.

The key is to use an intelligence driven approach. By using web analytics, the automated detection systems can be configured to focus on sites within the broadcast jurisdiction which have the highest volume of internet traffic in that geographic region. This ensures that customers have actionable intelligence to know the best points to attack.

Taking an early lead
Using this intelligence driven approach we have seen in the last 3 months, just for the top ten most popular related pirate linking sites, that the average number of monthly unique visitors was 2,458,189.77. By targeting these sites, customers are able to take action against the sites that are causing the most harm to their business.

Given the popularity of live sports, any automated system which is used must be capable of real-time processing of hundreds of pirates streams. This means that the service swiftly detects infringing content, the streams are analyzed, validated and evidence captured for inclusion in DMCA infringement notifications.

But the winning game plan needs to stretch beyond just a technology solution. It’s essential to have proactive services. In-line with the customer’s business policies, experienced investigators can collect evidence to support criminal prosecution or civil litigation.

Keeping track of the score
Gone are the days of static reports sent after the event. The winning game plan should allow customers access to real-time data. Via an online portal, for instance, they can drill down to see details such as information about detection rates, enforcement activities and compliance metrics.

Post-match analysis
Pirates are continually adapting and to effectively fight online piracy means keeping up to date with their latest activities. We are seeing a rise in the use of app/plug-ins and devices such as Kodi, as well as online brand exploitation and increasing levels of OTT credential theft.

As the game changes, it’s beneficial to have a flexible team in your corner. A team who can support you now but who can support you in the future.

If you want more information about the Irdeto live sports service, why not pop by the Irdeto booth at Sportel (24 to 27 October 2016) at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.